Bosnia’s UN Ambassador: Dodik hides behind national interests, Russia will not block EUFOR mission

In an interview with FTV, Lagumdzija said Dodik “steals as long as he can, then retreats like a mouse.”

“By his actions, he has shown that nothing is more important to him than the RS, except himself. He sold the RS for his own freedom and the chance to keep controlling certain processes, not officially anymore, but in the manner of his Sicilian role models, who have a long tradition on the other side of the law,” Lagumdzija said.

Drawing from personal experience, he added that Dodik “pushes and takes as far as possible, but retreats like a small mouse the moment someone draws a line.”

Speaking about Bosnia and Herzegovina’s foreign policy, Lagumdzija said the country has aligned itself with “the rare few that, over the past two years, have stood firmly on the side of truth, justice, and international law.”

“That means defending the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. Regarding Gaza, from day one, we have supported the two-state solution, Palestine and Israel living side by side in peace and security. Every form of terrorism, whether by Hamas or by a state, must be condemned,” the Bosnian Ambassador noted.

“EUFOR Althea will remain; we’ll see soon enough”

Commenting on Dodik’s claim that he had asked Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to have President Vladimir Putin block the extension of the EUFOR Althea mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lagumdzija said that scenario was unlikely.

“In about ten days, the first agenda item will be EUFOR Althea. We’ll see soon enough, on October 31, the current mandate expires, and on November 1, the new one begins. Dodik did ask Lavrov and Putin to stop it, but those men are smarter than him. If EUFOR doesn’t stay, someone else will come, and that someone will not be Russian forces, but NATO,” he said.

Lagumdzija also warned of potential renewed “attacks on Christian Schmidt and the Office of the High Representative,” calling them “nothing new.” When asked whether Dodik might one day flee Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lagumdzija responded:

“If he manages to, he will. Until then, he’ll do everything to avoid being wanted. He knows better than anyone why he might one day be sought after, and it has nothing to do with secession. It’s tied to what’s the cancer of the entire region, organised crime and corruption under a political cover,” he said.

He added that he does not believe Dodik would flee to Russia.

“If I were him, I’d first go to Hungary, at least until [Prime Minister Viktor] Orban loses the elections. When that happens, Dodik could join Milosević’s son somewhere near Moscow. As for [Serbian President Aleksandar] Vucic, they might cross paths in Hungary. Vucic will go to the other side of the world, but not to Moscow,” Lagumdzija concluded.